Telecommunications Issues Update

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Telecommunications Issues Update

• Pete Costello, PBSJ
• 511 Working Group Dearborn, MI
• March 30, 2006

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VoIP and 511 Updated
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VoIP Market

• The market for VoIP continues to grow rapidly
• VoIP usage base increased to 3.5, or nearly 3.9
  million US households in January 2006
• Up from 2.9 percent in June 2005
• Vonage holds nearly half the market, with Skype a
  distant second, followed by ATT CallVantage
• Source Telephia - provider of performance
  measurement information to the converging
  communications and mobile industries

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VoIP Market (2)

• VoIP Provider Market Share by Household
  Subscribers (U.S.) Source Telephia

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N11 Dialing on VoIP

• National Emergency Number Association (NENA) has
  proposed an Interim Solution to 911 routing
• FCC notified, solution posted on NENA website
• Routing of calls is based on the registered
  location of the subscribers service
• In most cases this is a viable option, though the
  solution still assumes that the customer has
  accurately entered and updated their service
  location
• Vonage is implementing a band-aid solution for
  other Single Number Services
• Working with American Association of Poison
  Control Centers to route Poison calls
  (800-222-1222) according to the users
  registered phone number
• Works best for non-nomadic customers, as this
  number usually corresponds to their location
• Possible option registered mailing address

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What does this all mean to 511?

• Not much has changed in the past few months,
  except for the growth in VoIP customers
• Providers are becoming, and need to continually
  be made aware of geographically based services,
  such as 511, and the need for them to be able to
  route these calls efficiently
• May be worthwhile having direct conversations
  with FCC, Vonage and others regarding both
  short-term and long-term routing solutions

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Other Interesting Developments
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Power Line Communication / Broadband over Power
Lines

• What is it?
• Power line communication (PLC), Broadband over
  Power Lines (BPL) or Power Line Telecoms (PLT),
  is a wireline method of communication that uses
  existing electric power transmission and
  electricity distribution lines.
• Carriers can communicate voice and data by
  overlaying an analog (voice/data) signal over the
  standard 50 or 60 Hz alternating current (AC).

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Power Line Communication / Broadband over Power
Lines (2)

• Deployed in Europe A base station at each
  220-volt transformer serves up to 300 residences
• In US - 110-volt transformers serve only a
  handful of customers. Thus, broadband over power
  lines has been slower to develop
• Controversial - In the US, outdoor electrical
  lines are not shielded, unshielded
  high-frequencies may interfere with wireless
  signals, e.g. police and EMS radios
• Problematic - though the FCC amended Part 15 of
  the rules to establish specific interference
  mitigation requirements for BPL systems
• BPL is in trial in a number of areas - may end up
  as another backbone for VoIP, - perhaps a power
  company might provide telecom service as well

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Deployer Assistance

• Colorado
• Verizon Wireless - requesting signed letters from
  adjacent states allowing for bleed over for 511
  callers. Issue is with states that are not being
  as cooperative as we might like
• Provided data and documentation from other states
  
• Interceded with corporate and local to try and
  mitigate the issue

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Deployer Assistance

• New Jersey
• Verizon Wireless - requesting signed letters from
  adjacent areas allowing for bleed over for
  511 callers. Concern that the request would
  require letters from each County along the
  border.
• Provided data and documentation from other
  states. Recommended that letters be on a
  statewide level.
• Offered to contact Verizon Wireless directly on
  the issue to clarify
• Verizon Landline requesting Monthly Recurring
  Charges for 511 implementation
• Provided data and documentation on other states
  where such requests have been denied or
  negotiated
• Offered to contact Verizon directly to clarify
  position as relates to other implementing states

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Discussion / Questions?

• Thank You